I track people who are disrupting the world of mobile technology. Non-conformists, innovators and agitators are this blog's unsung heroes, from entrepreneurs to scientists, to rebellious hackers. I'm the author of "We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous and the Global Cyber Insurgency", (Little Brown, 2012) which The New York Times called a "lively, startling book that reads as 'The Social Network' for group hackers." I recently relocated to Forbes' San Francisco office, and was previously Forbes' London bureau chief from 2008-12, interviewing British billionaires like Philip Green and controversial figures like Mohammed Al Fayed; I wrote last year's billionaires cover story on Russia's Yuri Milner, and have broken stories like the Facebook-Spotify partnership in 2011. Before all this I had stints at the BBC and as a radio journalist. You can watch me on 'The Daily Show' here. If you have a story idea or tip, e-mail me at polson@forbes.com or follow me on Twitter: parmy.

CES 2013 Live Blog: Huawei Press Conference

Huawei, creator of the Ascend D2 smartphone, is announcing some new products at CES 2013 and I’m here to cover it.

A member of Huawei’s management has taken to the stage.

- The global handset industry is consolidating, “but we’ve had positive growth in profit and revenue.”

- Consumers need an all-in-one device – “it has to have a large resolution screen, long-lasting power, be easy to carry and have a superior camera.” [The executive is holding a phablet-like device in his hand].

- And here’s the big announcement – 5-inch Ascend Mate, the largest screen smartphone in the world – [watch out, Samsung Galaxy Note]. A very large looking smartphone which bears the hallmarks of a phablet (cross between a phone and tablet).

- The second big announcement; the AscendD2, the “most powerful smartphone in the world.”

- The phones feature a “curved design,” “dynamic frame,” and “details in design,” though no specifics on this yet.

- We’re being shown a video backed by generic indie rock music that shows the complicated manufacturing processes for these devices. “It’s so complicated, so difficult to manufacture,” he says.

- Ascent D2′s screen has 442 PPI, a higher resolution than the iPhone 5, which has 325 PPI, and Galaxy S3.

- A high screen-to-frame ratio, of 0.693, and a 13 megapixel camera.

- Better quality speaker phone for hands free calls.

- 2,000mAh Large battery, “double the battery charge of an iPhone 5.” This battery typically lasts for 2 days; the iPhone 5 lasts for one.

- He’s pouring a jug of water over the phone – yep, the Ascent D2 is dust and water resistant.

- Now to talk about the massive Ascent Mate – a huge screen, 6.1 inches across diagonally.

- Battery life is even longer than the Ascent D2.

- It features “magic tough” technology – what’s that mean? You can touch the screen effectively even if you’re wearing a glove.

- Huawei is also integrating a navigation service into the phone, which uses augmented reality – [watch out Waze and Google Maps]

- Another feature, called smart reading, magnifies a word and quickly searches, defines or translates it.

- Now a multi-tasking feature for using different apps on the phones – whereas some phones let apps go transparent, the Ascent D2 and Ascent Mate divide apps into windows, a bit like windows on a desktop experience.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.